H2O: What if?
by H2O4ever
Summary: A series of one-shots with a, "What if?" question. What if Charlotte never existed? What if...? Ect., ect., ect. Suggestions welcome.
1. Story One

A/N: So I'm starting a story with a series of one-shots in the 'What if?' factor. Each chapter will get a 'What if?' question, and a short story to go along with it. This will be a sort of story to do in between my other one, so I won't update that often. Hope you enjoy! Remember, this story may not go as the episode does, but that's because the two characters are switched, so it doesn't go as planned in the episode.

**Story 1: What if Charlotte was Cleo and Cleo was Charlotte?**

**3****rd**** POV **

Charlotte's mouth twisted in concern as she watched the sprinkler in the front of the school swirl around. She squinted against the shine of the sun as she eyed her next class—yes, she definitely had to cross the yard to get to there. Charlotte didn't want to get wet, because once she got wet, her mermaid form would come out of hiding. She twisted her head around to see if there was anyone near. Seeing a lack of students, she held out her hand and twisted it. Automatically, the sprinkler went the other way. Charlotte smiled. This was a great part of being a mermaid—she had amazingly cool powers to help her avoid any unnecessary contact with water.

But just as the sprinkler jumped the other way, it hit a girl who was coming from the opposite direction. Her mouth opened in an O of surprise as the unexpected water molecules hit the front of her skirt. Her brown hair that was neatly tied back behind her head let loose a few strands as she jumped back in shock. She smiled in embarrassment as a few students handed her some paper towels to dry her now wet skirt.

Ashamed, Charlotte raced over to the unfamiliar girl. "I am so sorry!" she apologized, looking at the soaked skirt.

"Don't be," the girl said, smiling a little. "It wasn't your fault."

Charlotte gave her a guilty smile. "Right. Um, my name is Charlotte. I haven't seen you around here. You new?"

"Yeah," the girl said with a timid smile. "I am. My name is Cleo."

"Nice to meet you," said Charlotte. "You'll love it here."

"Well, so far the only thing I've seen is the entrance, a few nice students," she cast a glance at Charlotte, "And a defective sprinkler. So, I guess I need to warm up a little to this school."

Just then, Lewis came over. Cleo instantly turned her attention from her skirt to the boy. "And who is this?" she asked, a little more enthusiastic than she should have been. But Charlotte figured she was new, and she needed a few friends. Why not start with them?

"Lewis," he said, extending his hand to meet Cleo's. Cleo instantly took it, blushing a deep scarlet red, but trying to hide it. She held on a little too long after the shake. "Cleo," she returned.

A little envious, Charlotte wrapped her arm around his waist. "And he's my boyfriend." Charlotte kissed Lewis on the cheek.

"Of course," Cleo said slowly, a hint of sadness to her tone. Charlotte instantly became a little suspicious.

"And what happened to you?" asked Lewis, pointing to Cleo's soaked clothes. Confused, Cleo followed his gaze to her skirt. "Oh, this? The sprinkler just, like, jumped at me."

"Did it now?" asked Lewis, looking from the water stain to Charlotte. She shrugged, trying to look as perplexed as Cleo.

"I guess it just broke," said Charlotte. Cleo looked unconvinced at the now fine sprinkler, happily making the already green grass brighter and healthier.

"Oh, well," Cleo said, shoving her collected books into her bag.

"I thought you were new," Charlotte said, motioning to the books.

"I am," Cleo said. "These are just my books I figured I'd bring along. I'm really into my grades. Especially science."

"Really?" asked Lewis. "Science is, like, my world!"

"He's a real science freak," Charlotte said, planting another kiss on his cheek. "But he's my freak."

"Do you have the advanced science course?" asked Cleo, ignoring Charlotte fully now.

"Yeah," said Lewis, now sort of forgetting Charlotte too.

"Really?" asked Cleo. "I have it, too!"

"What period?" asked Lewis, pretty much forgetting Charlotte too now.

"Fifth," Cleo said with a smile, giving only a mere glance at her schedule.

"Hey, me too!" Upon hearing the bell, Lewis said, "So I'll see you then?"

"Definitely," Cleo said, exchanging a bold smile. Not wanting to be left out, Charlotte said bye. Cleo smiled at her, and, seemingly nice enough returned the gesture of kindness.

Charlotte tugged Lewis to their next class, as Cleo, her clothes now partially dry, watched the two lovebirds go by. With a smile, she promised herself that no matter what it took, Lewis would be hers.

A/N: Do you guys have any suggestions? Remember, this story may not have fast updates. Please give me any suggestions you have. Watch out for the next story!


	2. Story Two

A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! I really like the ideas, so after this story, I will start on them (I will do them in the order that I received them)! On to the next story! Again, remember what Lewis and Cleo say in this short story is not like in the real episode, that's because this is my story.

Story 2: What if Cleo and Lewis didn't get back together in "Sea Change"?

Cleo POV

Lewis settled himself on the hot sand by me, trying to get comfortable. In all honesty, I wasn't very comfy myself, my butt getting burned by the burning sand.

"So," he said slowly, as if trying to make the word last a long time, and we could just sit here.

"So," I said equally as slowly as him. I gave him a weary smile.

"I bet you never want to see another shark in your life," joked Lewis, trying to lighten the mood. I cracked a smile. The muggy air settled around us as uncomfortably as we were.

I turned my gaze away from Lewis and out to the sea. "Yeah. You bet. But being a mermaid and all, I just need to get used to it."

I sighed, letting my breath leak out slowly. I really didn't know what to say next. It was like a play. We were the main characters, but it seemed that we both forgot our lines.

"Nice day," commented Lewis, trying to make small talk. I admired him for that. He always had the courage to speak up when no one else would.

"Very," I said. I, on the other hand, was not good at small talk, and was surprised I could come up with that one word.

"Listen, Cleo, I was really worried about you," said Lewis, looking at me. I faced him, too.

"I was really scared," I admitted. "And that's pretty humiliating, considering I'm a mermaid."

"Hey," Lewis said, scooting closer to me. I felt even more uncomfortable, considering that this was someone else's boyfriend I was dealing with. "I'm not a fan of sharks either."

"Yet you scared them away," I said, pouting a little.

"Yes, but I scared them away for _you_," he said, putting his arm around me. I stiffened. "I was worried about you."

I looked him square in the eye. His words were true—I could tell by his eyes. I was a very good reader of eyes.

He leaned in towards me, and, feeling compelled to do so, I mimicked his actions. Our lips met in the middle, and we both kissed.

As we pulled back, I bit my lip in tense frustration. Ever since I broke up with Lewis, I knew that we weren't meant to be. I knew he'd be better off with someone who would not only understand him greatly, but actually like his clinginess (something that went greatly under appreciated when we were together.) Once we had broken up, that frustrating and sad time, I had learned one thing: I would not go down this road again. But here I was, kissing Lewis right after he saved my life, and I had to admit, it felt utterly amazing.

Oh, what was I saying? I knew I couldn't fall into this tangled mess again, the uncomfortable silence, the constant annoyance for Lewis. Even though _deep_ down I could honestly say I still loved him, I couldn't do this again. No way.

"Lewis," I said, ready to let out all my bottled up emotions. I was ready to let them all burst, leaving him speechless. I was ready to tell him what I was really feeling inside, ready to tell him everything.

But instead, I said, "We can't do this."

"Why not?" asked Lewis.

I didn't want to hurt him. I really didn't. So instead, I just said one simple name. "Charlotte."

"Don't worry about her," Lewis said, smiling. "I broke up with her."

I stared at him with wide, innocent, child-like eyes. He broke up with Charlotte for me? No, that couldn't be. The relationship was already dancing on the borderline of going strong and broken up. He was already planning on dumping the venomous Charlotte like a hot tamale, but that was before everything went wrong, and she became a mermaid.

"You did?" There was no hiding my astonished tone. My words tumbled out before I could make sense of them.

"Yeah." He stared at me with those blue eyes of his. I felt my inner melt away in his presence, and I felt myself smiling. He really did have a way to charm a girl, but I had to find out a way to wiggle out of that charm. I really dreaded this moment, but I knew what I had to say.

"Lewis," I began in a whisper. "I really didn't want it to come down to this, but…we can't be together." I saw the hurt in his eyes, the broken heart that was suddenly so visible under his now thin layers. "It's just…we broke up once, and now here we are…but I just can't do it. I know that ending to this story, Lewis! We will get back together, but it will end in turmoil, and we'll end up never speaking to each other again. And you know why?" I asked, looking deep into his eyes. "Because we just aren't compatible! We are like ice cream and mustard, tuna and relish…we just don't mix. Our stories just don't combine; they don't harmonize well together. Yes, I think you are a wonderful scientist and friend," I continued, looking at him. I smiled, wanting him to know that I still cared for him; I still wanted to be close. "But we won't work well as girlfriend and boyfriend. Lewis, I really hope you find a girl that really enjoys you. But the truth is…I'm not that girl. I never was, or will be. But that girl is still our there somewhere, and she's waiting for you." After I was done, I let out a long sigh, glad my feelings that were kept prisoner in me finally burst out, showing its true colors.

I watched as Lewis's gaze trailed from me to the ocean. He breathed in and out, slowly, as if trying to slow his heart rate. After a few minutes, it got too painful to see him. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I stood up. I walked slowly to the ocean shoreline. About halfway there, I realized that walking hurt for me—and I didn't know why. Tears fell faster as I started to run to the ocean, wanting to forget the pain in my heart and just get rid of it all by swimming. What an amazing feeling it would be once I got in…

"Cleo!" I heard a distant voice cry. I swiveled my head to see Lewis, standing up, with his hands cupped around his mouth. The sun laid its rays on around him just right, making him look like an angel. He took a deep breath, and then yelled, "I love you!"

Emotions mixed through me as I burst into more tears—happy, happy tears. I felt warmth go around my ankles, and as I looked down, I saw that a wave of salt water had crept its way up to me. I looked back up at Lewis. His arms were now at his sides, and he was attentively looking at me.

Instead of coming out with all my feelings at the moment, I just imitated him, and cupped my own hands around my own mouth. I yelled back, "I love you, too!"

He smiled, and I smiled back. I knew then that we wouldn't get back together, but instead remain friends.

I ran into the waiting ocean, and thought to the ocean, as if it could hear my inner thoughts, _I'm here. It's all right. I'm here now._

As I swam off, I heard another cry from behind me, "And I always will, Cleo Sertori!"

A/N: I'm a total Clewis shipper, so none of this is how I feel about Cleo and Lewis :). So…like it? Hate it? I'd love to hear some more suggestions, by the way, if you have them. I might use them :). 'Till then, good-bye!


	3. Story Three

A/N: So I'll start with the first suggestion I got, which was from zikki4ever123. Cheers! BTW, the dialogue is similar in the beginning, but mixes up once with the arrival of Emma.

Marril96: Thanks for all the suggestions! Yours start in the next chapter!

majobloem: I know that they are destined to be together. I said at the end all these feelings were totally wrong, because it's a short story where everything is mixed up (e.g., the first chapter, where Charlotte and Cleo are switched.) The short stories are supposed to be like that. It won't ever happen (the not getting back together of Clewis), because the story was totally mixed up, as it was supposed to be. The feelings and characters will mostly be OOC. Take it or leave it.

Story 3: What if Emma was the new girl instead of Rikki? (Suggestion by zikki4ever123)

Cleo POV

I walked along in the hot weather of Australia. I paced kind of fast, hoping to escape what was behind me. Rikki, who was my best friend since kindergarten, had asked me to help her train for her big swim meet, and being me, I couldn't say no, even though deep down I was terrified of water, and I couldn't swim. I had tried to stay at least three feet away from the edge of the pool while watching the amazing Rikki slice through the water like it was air. I couldn't have helped but feel a little jealous. I really regretted refusing to take swimming lessons with Rikki when I had the chance years ago. But instead, here I was, fifteen, and still unable to just _swim_. God, why was I so pathetic? Why couldn't I reverse that, and not be scared of swimming anymore? There had to be something!

"Cleo! Hey, Cleo!" I heard a voice call. My head lifted from my misery to look at Zane. He was staring right at me. Wait…was he calling _me_? Out of all the people in the world, he was calling _me_? No, that couldn't be right. I instantly swiveled my head around to look behind me, to see if there was some blonde tanned goddess behind me named Cleo that must have been his girlfriend, or some sort of snobby friend (not unlike himself.) But he said, "Yes, that Cleo."

As it turned out, he just needed help with his zodiac. I politely told him I was no good with boats, and tried to back away. But he said all he needed was for me to hand him a few tools.

I unsurely took a few steps towards him. It all sounded a little fishy to me. I mean, what could have been up Zane's sleeve? We were enemies since elementary school, where I had a slight crush on him, but once that secret had slipped, he told me he'd never like me ever. We've never gotten along since.

I hesitantly stepped into the boat, and started digging in his toolbox. He told me that his spark plug had been stolen. Now feeling pretty confident, I calmly asked him if it worked without one. I felt a sudden jolt, and I turned around. Zane had a smug smile on his face. "Nah, no spark plug, no spark." I looked around worriedly, and realized that he had kicked the boat away from the dock.

I was right! I knew it! There was no way that stuck up, good for nothing Zane could have possibly just wanted "help with his boat." I would have been silently proud of myself if the boat wasn't drifting away from the dock. Zane knew I couldn't swim! It was one of the many reasons he said he'd never like me!

I felt like crying when I asked why he'd sent adrift me, and not someone else. I told him I hadn't stolen his spark plug, just in case this was revenge for it. What would I have done with a measly old spark plug anyway? I didn't own a boat! That was because I had no intention of going anywhere _near_ water, except to wash my hands.

He just replied, "Because you're here, Cleo!" It didn't make any sense at all to _me_, but of course he just wanted to mess with me. I argued some more with him, but I knew he'd won.

I looked around at my surroundings—water. All water. What else was there to an ocean? How deep was it? What if my feet were like weights, and they just brought me straight down like a rocket?

I sat down in the boat. "This isn't happening," I said to no one in particular. What would happen now? Would the water police find me stranded in the middle of the ocean, dead? If I ever got off this boat, I am going to literally _kill_ Zane!

There was a blur of movement. It jumped off the dock, and landed on the boat, in perfect cat-like form. It caught my surprise so easily that I screamed.

The blur actually turned out to be a girl, looking about my age. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail behind her head, and a few strands were visibly out of place. Her cheeks were red—either running or the heat. A white tank top hugged her body perfectly, along with blue pants—a simple outfit. She had pale pink lips that were set in a hard line. Her blue eyes stared at me as if they'd never seen a girl before.

"What?" the girl asked, a smile not forming on her lips. I looked her up and down. Her pale hand wrapped around something completely invisible to me.

"Nothing," I stammered. "But…we're both kind of…" I made a gesture to the ocean around us. That wide, wide ocean…oh, I was going to be sick. "Stuck here." I muttered the last part. My heart beat faster at the word "stuck."

A smile now crept on her lips. She didn't have to say anything—she just held up something. A spark plug.

"Wait…so _you_ took that?" I asked, astounded. I thought Zane had made sure that his boat was highly equipped so things like this just wouldn't happen. Wow, this girl must have been good.

She scooted past me, and to the visible engine. She stuck the spark plug into the engine. After a few minutes, she stood back up. The boat rocked a little, which made my stomach go inside out, but seemed to not have made her notice one bit. She held out her hand. "Emma Gilbert."

I took it. "Cleo Sertori." I watched as she sat down in front of the wheel. She looked over the boat. "Pretty sweet boat," said Emma. "No wonder this boy is rich. He can get boats like these easily. That guy has more money in his front pockets than I'll ever have in my entire life."

"You know Zane?" I asked. She looked up at me as if she'd forgotten I was there. She shielded her eyes with her hand. I wondered why she did, but I realized the sun was right behind me. Embarrassed, I sat down next to her.

"Sort of," she answered my question, not looking at me, but at the wheel. "I've seen him around school. My dad told me about him—see, he works for Mr. Bennett. Dad got a job here working for Bennett, and that's why we moved. My brother hates the move more than I do."

"How old is your brother?" I asked. I was truly curious, too. Or maybe I was just trying to make conversation to rid my mind of thinking about the ocean, and how we were going to drown…oh, stop it!

"Eleven," she said.

"So is my sister. Maybe they know each other."

"Maybe," said Emma, but she was more interested in fiddling with the knobs and switches on the zodiac that I could probably not have figured out myself. She pulled down a big lever, and the engine started up.

I swayed a little, which made me incredibly uneasy. My hands shot out to the sides of the boat and gripped them hard. I squeezed my eyes shut.

I heard a laugh. I opened one closed eye and saw Emma staring back at me, a smile dancing on her lips. I grinned, too. I was glad I had made her laugh.

"Come on, lighten up," she said, carefully prying my fingers one by one from the sides of the boat. "What's the fun of the ride if you can't see anything beneath those closed eyes?"

I gathered up my courage. Emma was already done getting my hand off one of the sides, and was going for the second. I promptly and proudly pulled off my other, and so they wouldn't be tempted, I placed them on the seat and sat on them.

"Good," she said, smiling. She returned to her controls. "Let's go!"

The boat started up in a jerking motion, and my hands flew out to the sides again. Once it started to move, I felt more comfortable, and let go.

Emma was right. I really wouldn't had had any fun at all on the trip if my eyes were shut as if I had seen something ghostly and wished it away, and my hands gripping the sides as if I was about to fall to my death. The ocean was very pretty. I was almost disappointed that I was exceedingly terrified of water.

I turned my attention to a nearby bridge. We were about to drive under it. I saw the sidewalk by the bridge, and on it, looking amused, was Rikki.

"Hey Rikki! Do you want to ride?" I yelled up to her. She smiled. Her white teeth showed beneath her lips. Rikki's blonde hair was curled perfectly and parted two ways onto her shoulders. She had a red short-sleeved shirt with black decoration swirls on it, and a pair of light blue jeans. She was also wearing a thin, white vest.

"Where are you heading?" she yelled back, cupping her mouth with her hands. She grabbed her hair and tightly squeezed it, letting the remaining water drip off and onto the sidewalk. Probably chlorine filled water from her pool behind her house. Rikki was pretty devoted.

"Wherever!" Emma called, revving the engine. "Let's go, we have time to kill!"

Rikki rolled her eyes, but I laughed. Somehow I knew that we would all be great friends. I also somehow knew, deep down inside, that something would happen soon that would change our lives forever.

**A/N: Okay! Well, next chapter I will start on Marril96's endless ideas (XD it'll be a lot of fun to write about them), and if you have any suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comment thingy. 'Kay, if that's all, ciao!**


	4. Story Four

A/N: Oh my God, I have so many suggestions for this story! It's crazy! I have a lot of writing to do! I have about 15 to do (rofl.) So here's a suggested story from Marril96!

Story 4: What if it was Emma instead of Bella that came in season three?

**(Suggestion by Marril96)**

Rikki POV

Ah, the beach. There was no place like it—the sand, the ocean, no place could duplicate its serene and tranquil feel. Maybe that's why I was here today—for that peaceful feel that covered up all your worries, even though they were right under that fake shell, and that you could easily break that shell if you so much as slipped. That's why I couldn't think about it.

I felt the sun warm me with its UV rays on my back. The hot Australian sun simply washed away your troubles also. And I had a lot of them.

School was right around the corner, and even though I was pretty good in some subjects, my grades were slipping in the others. I was pretty proud when I learned three months ago that I would be moving on to becoming a senior, which was quite an honor for me. Frankly, I highly doubted I would make it to high school.

Grades weren't the only part of that relaxing façade I built up between those problems I had and me. Bella, one of my two best friends, had recently moved away. It was a nightmare coming to life. She moved away because her father had to manage some hotel in Italy for around a year. New country, new home, and new attitude…I felt more sorry for her than me. What was it like to go to a new school? What was it like to make new friends that probably took pity on you for how little you knew about anything?

I guess I could answer that question myself. I had once been the new girl, and I once had to make all new friends. Of course, my other friends turned out to become better friends that I had imagined, ever since we became mermaids together. What if Bella found a clan of mermaids that had the same interests as her? What if they liked singing as much as her? What if she liked them better than Cleo and I, and refused to move back to Australia once it was time? What if…slow down Rikki, slow down. She wouldn't do that. Of course not. There was no way she'd like any other mermaids better than us, the ones she transformed with. And she promised us the day she said she had to leave that once they were set to move back, she would make sure to take an earlier plane than her family just to swim the whole day with Cleo and I and be with us with no interruptions.

I heard a thump by me. I glanced over to the pink towel next to me to see Cleo situating herself next to me. My head had been resting in my arms, so I unfolded them and propped my head in my hands.

"Tanning?" asked Cleo with a small and teasing smile dancing on her lips. She _knew_ that I could never get a good tan, and was constantly joking about it. There were only two levels to my skin: pale and burnt.

"No," I said, not mimicking her smile. Cleo's grin dropped as she realized that whenever she cracked one of those jokes, I would laugh or smile, or like last time, stuff a pillow in her face. "I'm thinking." Truth be told, I _wished_ I was tanning.

"About Bella?" asked Cleo. I bit my lip, not replying at first. Was it weird to think of your friend who moved away? It always amazed me at how easily Cleo could read my mind—kind of like ESP.

"Yeah," I said softly. "Managing a hotel my foot. I would have gladly shared a room with her in my cramped trailer if that meant keeping those midnight swims with her, and sharing those memories still. Now she's off in Italy, probably meeting other friends to share the secret with." It felt extremely good to get that off my chest and share it with someone.

Cleo sighed. "I know. I'm already missing her so much, even though she only left last week."

Last week? It felt like last month! How could I possibly go a whole year without Bella? Next thing you know Cleo is probably going to end up moving too…what then? I wondered if Cleo missed Bella as much as me. Probably, considering they knew each other before I came along.

"I know," I said, sighing. "How could she possibly move during our senior year? This is the time to celebrate the last year of school, not get shipped off to an entirely new country! We were supposed to stick together throughout this year, considering we'll be separated next year."

I could sense deep down that she knew exactly what I was talking about. Cleo just didn't want to bring it up to focus. "What are you talking about?"

I glared at her. "It's hard enough to think about, please don't make me talk more about it. College is what I'm talking about, Cleo! You know that once Bella gets back, she'll be going away again for a great college. You, you're pretty smart, so you and Lewis might make it to the same college somewhere far away. And I'll end up stuck here, skipping college altogether."

Cleo rested atop of her towel. She frowned, and bit her bottom lip. "Listen Rikki, we won't think about being separated or Bella leaving again, or even college! Right now is about our senior year, all about us, and—if you've already forgotten—our amazing secret!"

I snorted, burying my face again in my utterly pale arms. "You're just saying that because you know I'll never make it into a college."

Cleo returned my snort, and joined me in just relaxing under the sun. I wished I could have been as relaxed and nonchalant as Cleo. Or was she? Could she possibly be as stressed out and worried about the future, or further things, like Bella?

I traced the fuzzy towel pattern with my pointer finger. I traced over its red swirls, and tried to get within its pattern. Exactly what did each pattern mean? What did polka dot or zebra print mean? What about just regular stripes, or how about plaid? I think such random thoughts at times….

I pretty much had enough of just lying here, so I started to pack up my things. Cleo watched me do so, and mimicked my actions. She must have felt sorry for me, and wanted to cheer me up. Well, newsflash for her, I couldn't be cheered up. Why couldn't there be some 'cheer up' button for me to press, and all my problems would be solved, and happiness would regain in my body once more? A couple hard presses of that button would do me some good right about now.

I walked across the endlessly sandy beach, trying to reach some invisible goal. But exactly what was that goal? For Bella to be back in our lives? For this stupid drama to be over?

I heard a squeal of a little girl nearby. I looked up to see a little girl of about four proudly hovering above a half crumpled and poorly built sand castle. A smiling brunette with a stripe of sunscreen on her nose that looked to be the girl's mother proudly snapped a photo from a disposable camera.

The beach was near full today. Maybe it was the extremely hot weather out today that was perfect beach weather, or maybe it was the fact that school was only about two weeks away, and people wanted to get in their summer fun as quickly as they could, and what better way than a beach trip?  
After walking a while, I was about to ask Cleo if we could go to her house and grab a quick drink, because I needed a beverage. A nice iced tea would most likely hit the spot then.

Just then, we passed someone lying on her back on a sea foam green towel. She appeared to be our age, and had long blonde hair and was wearing a blue bikini. Her eyes were covered with burgundy colored sunglasses. I wouldn't have given the girl a second glance, but what happened in the next second changed all this.

A most likely six-year-old boy came running up to her. His lime green swim trunks reflected a lot of light, and caught my attention. He was carrying a dark blue pail filled to the brim with water.

The boy came running up to the girl, and in one motion, just dumped the entire bucket full of water on her stomach. _That_ caught her attention. She gasped, bolting upright and taking off her sunglasses to examine her soaked stomach.

"Tyler!" A woman yelled. She scooped up the boy in her arms and turned to the blonde girl. "I'm so sorry…"

But she wasn't interested in apologies. "No, it's okay," she stammered, and immediately bolted onto her feet. Deserting her pretty towel, she raced to the ocean, and dived in. I looked out to see that she hadn't surfaced.

"Huh," said the woman. "Where'd she go?" Then she turned to me. Tyler began to wiggle in her arms, so she let him loose. "Do you know her?"

I really didn't listen to her. I was just merely staring at the ocean. I slowly shook my head. "No. But I intend to."

Then I went sprinting to the ocean. No other words were exchanged after that.

_Please don't be a dream_, I mentally hoped. I dived into the ocean, really not caring about who saw me not surface. _Oh, please…_

_Find her, find her!_ was the only thought that raced through my clouded head at the moment. I ignored the colorful reefs and fish and even the playful dolphin that came squealing up to me, asking if I wanted to play with its eyes. I just left it behind in the dust.

I speed swam throughout the whole ocean scene, just looking for one thing in particular.

I finally came across a huge collection of red reefs. I grabbed onto it, and, spotting something ahead, I ducked down under the reef.

I watched the blonde girl with a long, bronze tail in front of me swim away. When she was about a few yards ahead of me, she stopped, and slowly turned around. Her baby blue eyes searched the ocean for the thing that made her turn around.

I slowly and guiltily came out of hiding from behind the big, red reef. Her eyes widened then narrowed as she looked over my long tail and my face, as if inspecting if I was good enough for her. My own eyes narrowed as cat-like and intimidating as hers looked, and I scanned her. Her eyes immediately returned to normal and shot me a look as if to say, _I'm sorry, I was in shock. I wanted to know who you were. Forgive me?_

I then felt something squeeze my tail, and I spun around to find Cleo. Her brown hair was swishing along with the waves, and her mouth was set in a hard line, as if she was mad about something. But her eyes were filled with sorrow, worry, surprise, and something else that I could not define. What was it? I had no idea why, but I was overly curious.

I broke the surface of the ocean, and took my hand and swept back the loose strands of wet hair that clung to my face. I saw Cleo and the mysterious girl surface too, each taking good, deep breaths. Cleo then opened her chocolate brown eyes and looked at me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I originally planned for them to just come tumbling and pouring out, but that dream never became a reality. All that came out was, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked Cleo, eyes trailing down into the water. She gazed deeply, as if she could find something hidden beneath its waters.

She was right: for what? I had practically every right to chase this weird girl around the ocean for hours on end, so why was I apologizing now? I decided to tell her what I originally planned I would be sorry for. "For trying to replace Bella. Yes, I know that she had a special place in our hearts, but I wanted—or needed—someone to take that place. Or…replace her."

"Oh, Rikki, you're not replacing her!" Cleo said. "It's okay that you miss Bella. Its normal, and having another mermaid friend wouldn't replace her."

"Hello?" asked the girl. I turned to her. "I'm still here!"

"Right," I said, mildly embarrassed. "Where are my manners?" It sounded corny and cliché, but I still said it, and moved on. I invited her to the moon pool, where we could all get acquainted and talk. My chest felt another pang of longing for Bella, but I quickly brushed it aside. I now wish I hadn't.

Once we all had gathered ourselves and were situated in the moon pool, I said to her, "Nice tail. What's your name?" I felt embarrassed that I hadn't brought it up before.

"Isn't it?" she asked, looking at her tail. "I'm Emma."

"I'm Cleo, and this is Rikki," Cleo said, motioning to herself and me. "So, what do we need to know about you?" Cleo said, with a laugh. Emma smiled.

She told us about her family, consisting of her mother, father, and younger brother named Elliott. She told us about how she transformed into a mermaid in the sea caves of Ireland, then demonstrated her really cool freezing power. After that, we showed her our powers.

"Well, I have to run. I'm unpacking boxes, and my mother said, and I quote, 'It's a job that requires four people.' I just think that she's suspicious of me, ever since I quit swim team. Which was what, like, nine years ago?" she said to us with a laugh, as if we knew the answer. We just laughed along.

"And trust me, I do not need my mom on my case with the whole mermaid thing in play. Plus, I'm pretty responsible, I get straight As, so she should quit pestering me." Emma rolled her eyes. "Bye guys. See you later?" she said, as if it were a question.

"Of course," Cleo said, smiling. I hoped it wasn't a fake smile.

Emma smiled back and nodded, then ducked under the water. Cleo and I were silent for a few minutes.

"I'm going to go now, too," Cleo said, pushing herself away from the edge of the moon pool and towards the underwater exit.

I nodded to her, as if giving her permission to go. She nodded back, and before going under, said, "Rikki?"

"Yeah?" I asked, turning to her.

"I miss her too." And with that, she ducked under.

A/N: Thanks to those who will read & review. Thanks a bunch! Watch out for the next addition of this story.


	5. Story Five

A/N: Your reviews really make my day! I love hearing from you! Thank you all!

Story 5: What if the girls lost their powers in the season 2 finale instead of Charlotte?

**(Suggestion by Marril96)**

Emma POV

I can't cry. I won't.

"Who wants to be the first to lose their tail?" Charlotte asked with a wicked smiled and crazed eyes that said she meant business. It upset me how much she thought she was better than us, more powerful than us. It might actually be true, which upset me even more. "How about I choose? Cleo," she said cruelly, singling out the person that was dating her ex boyfriend. My stomach clenched in knots as I shot Cleo a desperate look of pity.

We were weakening by the second. It looked as if the moon pool had been too generous to her last month when she got her powers, and made them so strong that we couldn't conquer Charlotte. But it had to be done. Charlotte had to be stopped. She was uncontrollable, overpowering, and all together quite obnoxious. She wouldn't stop for just a second to realize the consequences of everything that she was doing. I didn't even think she realized with so much power, comes so much more responsibility.

I can't cry. I won't.

Charlotte sent a smirk my way, in which I didn't respond. If I did, those hot tears that I had been holding back might overflow to create a sparkling mini river on my cheeks. I just turned my full attention and focus to the moon pool, where all the action—and not to mention water—was coming from.

Charlotte pulled her water snakes back into the moon pool, where I couldn't have helped but felt relieved. Those huge water snakes that Charlotte brutally made really frightened me, even though they were just water. Then again, even water could be more deadly than one of the most poisonous snakes ever.

But Charlotte wasn't through with us yet. She knew that she had found a gap in our powers, as if she even needed one. She was still mega powerful, with or without our power flaws. She took a step forward and raised her two hands, and created even bigger snakes that looked even powerful than before.

I can't cry. I won't.

_Heads up. It's coming towards you. It's only water. Just don't touch it,_ an imaginary voice in my head coached me, as if instructing me how to defeat Charlotte. If that's what it took, then, I would do it. _Shoulders square. Act like you aren't afraid of her._ I kept my back straight and I pretended what I wasn't, just as a huge snake glided over to me.

I stuck out my hand in a stop position, freezing the head of the huge snake. I smiled in victory. But that small victory didn't last. The water snake viciously shook off the ice, leading it to fly in all directions.

I can't cry. I won't.

I glanced over briefly to what Cleo and Rikki were doing, but tried not to lose my concentration on the huge beast. Cleo was moving her hand in different directions, trying to twiddle and twist the snake to her to her pleasure and will. Rikki was balling her hand into a fist, boiling the head of the water snake, creating the head to move inward. But neither of their plans seemed to be working that well.

I turned back to my own snake I was dealing with, only to see that it was steadily creeping behind me. I slowly turned around to where the snake now was, leaving the moon pool behind me, and my friends facing the right way.

I held out my hand, an attempt to freeze the snake. It seemingly hissed at me, and then zoomed toward me.

I can't cry. I won't.

It plunged into my stomach, knocking me out of breath. I took the blow graciously and fell to my back, just inches away from the moon pool.

Was Charlotte really trying to hurt us? Was there—deep down—a feeling of hatred so hot that she would attempt to kill us? It seemed like it. Then again, Charlotte was crazy. And I didn't mean that she was crazy on a normal day (though sometimes I had my doubts on that statement.) This was her first full moon, and she hadn't had any time to prepare or anything, so it was easy to let your emotions get swept away into an empty vat, where you were no longer you, until those feelings and rich emotions got placed back in you, where you realize what you did was wrong, and wondered why on earth you did that. But I bet Charlotte wouldn't think that. She hated us. And she was Charlotte.

"Emma!" I heard two female and one male voice call out. Cleo, Rikki and Lewis. Rikki and Cleo left behind their snakes, not caring at all about them. That made me smile. They really were great friends, and they would risk anything to help me.

I looked up at my friends, who were at my sides and helping me sit up. I turned my weak gaze over to the three snakes. They hissed venomously at me, as if _I_ did something to _them_, other than vice versa. I wondered if those snakes had any bad emotions towards me at all, or if Charlotte just influenced them. I bet if Cleo had them under her control—if she would even create giant water snakes—they wouldn't hurt anyone, not even if she was moonstruck. She had better control than that brat Charlotte.

The snakes vigorously shot towards us. I raised a shaky finger and pointed at them. "Look out!" I shouted with the last breath I had, and ended up coughing.

I can't cry. I won't.

Cleo was the first to plunge in first. The snake hit her in the side, which was facing them, because she was comforting me. She slid into the moon pool, and it really looked as if it hurt. When she surfaced, she was coughing and sputtering, spinning around, and trying to grab hold of something to keep her upright. She swished her now grown tail, trying to gain some balance. I looked up to the top of the volcano—the full moon had almost taken its place of honor, at the top of the volcano, where it would strip away any unlucky mermaid's powers for some other person to come waltz in and take over her powers.

I looked up to Charlotte. She was smiling—why wouldn't she? She had finally gained enough control to conquer Cleo Sertori—even if Rikki and I didn't fall into the moon pool in time for the full moon to take away her powers, it was still a victory for Charlotte.

I glanced at the now remaining water snakes. The one that knocked Cleo over was now ordinary water, untouched as if nothing had ever happened and was part of the moon pool. Cleo had finally been able to gain enough energy back from the blow to keep above water for a short period of time. She grasped the side of the moon pool, eyes shut. She took a few deep breaths as she tried to hoist herself out of the moon pool. All Charlotte did was smirk. She knew that Cleo couldn't get out of the moon pool when she had just been knocked over and out of breath, not to mention her powers weakened from the endless brawl with Charlotte. All she could really do right now is wait for the endless waiting to end.

One snake lunged towards Rikki. She could easily see it coming, so she rolled to the right, getting a few feet closer to Charlotte and a few feet away from me, which made me uneasy. Rikki looked at the snakes, smiled, and gloated in her head that she was too smart for water shaped like a snake.

But it wasn't done yet. It flew back into Rikki, and this time she didn't expect it. It shot into her stomach, and threw her into the moon pool, where it soon joined her to become a bunch of water nothingness.

I can't cry. I won't.

Rikki surfaced, taking deep, shaky breaths. She wiped the water out of her eyes so that she could see what was happening. Rikki looked up to the top of the volcano, and saw the full moon about thirty seconds away from being at the very middle—the beginning of the end.

I looked at Charlotte. Her brown eyes glowed with triumphant, as if she had just done something unimaginable and impossible. Her eyes then shot towards me, and she frowned—I was the only mermaid left. She wasn't done yet.

I gulped shakily as she moved swiftly over to me. I looked up at the top of the volcano—it was just about time. Only about twenty seconds away.

I can't cry. I won't.

She crouched down next to me, her jeans rubbing together and creating a sickening sound that made me flinch. She grinned, obviously happy that she had made me uncomfortable. She glared at me with that hatred look in her evil eyes and said, "You can go in the easy way, or the hard way."

I glanced back at the moon pool, now very close to being under magical influence that would change our lives forever. I saw Cleo, out of breath, clinging to the side of the moon pool, looking at me with fearful eyes that a puppy might look at someone as if they were lost. I looked at Rikki, who was on the verge of tears, and staring at me. Her eyes were almost saying, _Don't do it, Emma. Stall. You can overpower her for a few seconds. You could keep your powers, and we'll side by you._

I looked back at Charlotte quickly, at her smirking face, and at the last snake, hissing and rearing to go. Charlotte looked as if she wanted me to go in the hard way. But I wouldn't give her that satisfaction. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of breaking down into tears and begging her for mercy.

I got up to my feet, and faced the moon pool. The full moon was only seven seconds away from totality, and it had even started to illuminate the moon pool, giving it an eerie, mystical glow.

I took a step forward, and tried not to look at the sad faces of Cleo and Rikki. It would make me bawl. Instead, I looked down at the awaiting moon pool.

_So this is it_, I thought. _All those adventures, the powers, the freedom...all just a vivid memory now. All gone._ I took a small step to the moon pool, and then, building confidence, took an even bigger one.

Just one more step. I took a deep breath, and jumped.

I broke the surface of the water with a splash. I felt the cool water against my flustered cheeks, showing off the hard work I put in towards the battle with Charlotte. But it was all useless to me now. I kind of wish now that we hadn't even fought here, considering it was all a waste now.

When my tail appeared, I rubbed its scaly, bumpy surface, telling it my last goodbyes. Somewhere deep in my mind I was trying to find negative things about being a mermaid, so I would actually look forward to losing my powers. The only things that popped up were the usual, having to watch out for water everywhere, the lying, sneaking...but none added up to the thrill of really being a mermaid.

I surfaced, and saw that the show was just starting. The full moon started to cover the top of the volcano, fully illuminating the moon pool. I gulped as I watched tiny, magical bubbles fly up towards the moon. I imagined a little part of our powers or tail going up with each bubble. It was exactly like when we had first gotten our powers, except this time it didn't seem so magical.

I glanced fearfully at Lewis. He was still wedged in the moon pool wall, looking frightened with worry. I bit my lip at his sorrow. He really did care for us.

I saw the last bubbles fly up towards the moon, just as the moon pool stopped bubbling. I looked at Cleo, who had gained her strength back. I looked down at my legs, in hope that the effects didn't work. But all I saw were my stupid little legs, which were drenched in water, a sight I was not used to seeing. My clothes were soaked and sticking to me. I looked up at Charlotte, who had a big smile on her stupid little face. She won. We lost.

"Nice legs," she said, looking into the moon pool. Rikki gulped in attempt to keep back her burning tears. Charlotte waltzed over to Lewis, and smiled brightly at him, showing all teeth. "See, Lewis? I told you the girls weren't worthy of their powers. If they were, they would have won. But I'm worthy." I guess Charlotte felt brave then, and felt in control, because she stepped up to him, and kissed him on the lips, much to Cleo's horror. She then said, "If you ever dump that fool Cleo, you know my number."

She came over to us and dived into the moon pool. We all swam to the sides of the moon pool as she surfaced, tail and all. She smiled mockingly at us, and looked at her tail. Without saying a word, she dived under.

I can't cry. I won't.

The tears fell anyway.

**A/N: I was waiting for someone to suggest this, and I had fun writing it! Tell me if you like it!**


	6. Story Six

A/N: Hey, everyone! Thank you all for the reviews! I think this story is the most popular one out of my others (review wise.) Once again, thanks! Sorry it took me so long to update this story, but it's because I had ended Secrets of the Deep and I am currently working on the new mystery I'm hoping to publish soon. I can't wait to show it to you guys! This chapter is my first to have two POVs in it. So it starts out in Rikki's POV, then moves on to Cleo's. I will inform you when it moves into Cleo's POV. Enjoy reading!

Story 6: What if it was Zane instead of Lewis who saw Cleo as a mermaid in "Pool Party?"

**(Suggestion by Marril96)**

**Rikki POV/ Cleo POV**

_**-Rikki POV-**_

I bent down lower into the rocks as Emma continually tried to coax Lewis into doing something that he really didn't want to do—and it looked like he was winning.

"Please, Lewis!" Emma said, her voice cracking with desperation. My heart raced as I thought about what would possibly happen if Cleo got splashed at the pool party she was at now. What was that girl thinking? "This is incredibly important! Cleo might be in trouble." Emma's tone had gone from pleading to serious now. "We will not ask for anything else of you, ever. I mean it."

"Sorry guys," Lewis said, shrugging. "I'm here to fish. The only real danger Cleo could be in is if her bikini doesn't fit."

I narrowed my eyes at Lewis. "Lewis, this is no joking matter!" I lowered myself more into the rocks, realizing that I had pushed myself up a little bit more during Emma's little rant. I tighten my fingers around the gray rock, my knuckles going white from the worry that Cleo will soon get exposed.

"Sorry," Lewis repeated. Funny, there seemed to be no trace of apology in his voice. "I have much better things to do. I really don't think Merrium will care if I don't show up to her pool party. Cleo probably won't, either."

I held back the tears that were just aching to flow. This was just great. A week into being a mermaid and we get exposed? Maybe we didn't deserve being mermaids. Maybe we didn't deserve these wonderful long tails, and magical powers. We didn't deserve any of it.

I watched Lewis walk away, as if he were walking away from everything. With one last burst of confidence, I shouted, "Wait!"

He turned around, obviously anxious to get to his fishing and away from us. "Please," I whispered. The waves rolled up onto the shore, making a wet, splashing sound, and silencing everything around them. "Please," I said louder so that he could hear me better.

He seemed to think about it for a minute, tossing ideas and thoughts around in his head as if deliberating whether or not he was our friend. When he'd finally come to a decision, he whipped out his cell phone and started to scroll through his short list of contacts.

I did a silent cheer of victory, and glanced over at Emma. Her face was written with hope and enthusiasm. I turned back to Lewis, who was already holding up his metallic phone to his ear, listening to the rings of the phone.

I shivered, instantly cold from the waiting. Or was it the water? I took one hand off the rock and slid it down to the surface of the water behind the rock so that Lewis couldn't see it. I slowly balled my fist little by little to heat up the water, but not trying to burn us. Emma watched me, obviously not caring that I was turning the patch of ocean into a hot tub. I guess she was cold too, and it wasn't just my imagination.

I turned my attention back to Lewis, who was sighing outwardly. After he bit his lip and gave out a final sigh, he shut his blue phone with annoyance.

We didn't have to ask him what had happened. He hadn't said a word into the phone, so that could only mean one thing.

He shrugged, a look coming across his face. I recognized that look. It was hurt; hurt that Cleo hadn't answered her phone when he called. I just had to smile just a tiny bit—it was easy to detect instant feelings and connections between those two.

"Sorry," he said for the third time. I just ground my teeth, so angry that that was all he would do. If he cared for this girl, why didn't he go and get her?

Lewis turned away and walked in the opposite direction. He held his hand above his eyes to shield them from the sun as he looked around for another fishing spot. Well, boo-hoo to him. If he wouldn't help us out, we weren't moving.

"What are we going to do?" Emma said, turning around so that her back rested on the rock. She leaned her head on it, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath out.

I turned around also, and mimicked her. I let the warmth on my face take me away to a different place, somewhere where all our troubles and problems were resolved, and nothing else existed.

Emma and I both opened our eyes, and once again I felt the familiar shiver pass through my spine. I glared down at the mocking waters; didn't I just heat them up? I held out my hand and balled it tightly into a fist, not caring how hot it got. Emma grabbed my arm, shaking it, trying to get me to stop. Her efforts did nothing, so she just let her hand fall and drop into the water, where it rocketed back up again.

"Ow!" she cried in pain, and I got enough sense to stop heating up the water. I observed her burnt hand—it was red hot, as if it was shoved into a fire and thrust back out.

"I'm so sorry," I said, looking at her hand. I bit my lip, now realizing how my tail burned in the water. I hadn't realized how blistering hot it had gotten—maybe I was immune to it, because it was my power?

"It's okay," she said, giving me a little smile. It only made me feel worse. How could she be so calm and nice under a situation like this? Right now I was feeling pressured, worried, and anxious.

"I know what we have to do," I said, and pushed myself up onto the rough surface of the boulder. Looking left and right to make sure no one was watching, I hoisted my tail up after me. I then carefully balled my hand over my golden tail. Steam rolled off the tail, and I earned my legs back. Looking both ways again (you could never be too careful) I motioned for Emma to hop on. "Let's go Emma," I said, carefully drying her, not wanting to burn her to a crisp. It was hard to control my power. "We need to rescue Cleo."

_**-Cleo POV-**_

"Hey," I heard a low voice from behind me. I momentarily forgot that I was dying of heat inside of my clothes and spun around to see Zane leaning against the house wall, trying to look like the bad boy he's tricked everyone into thinking he was. In reality, he was just a snotty rich kid who got everything he wanted. His stupid illusion tricked everyone. Except me.

"What do you _want_, Zane?" I asked, annoyed. I wanted to spend my time at the party doing things I'd enjoy, not things that would make me throw up; like talk to Zane.

"I never got to repay you for the motorcycle incident," Zane said, and he stealthily started walking towards me. I only then realized that a few of Zane's friends were walking towards me behind Zane. I began to worry, because his friends looked pretty strong and serious.

"You know that wasn't my fault," I insisted, rapidly looking back and forth between him and his four friends behind him. "I swear."

"Come on Cleo, it's a pool party. Join the fun." His wicked eyes shot to the pool, and I gulped. "You're destined to make a big splash."

"Please Zane, I have a cold. I can't get wet," I pleaded, taking a few tiny steps towards the lurking waters behind me. "It actually could kill me."

Zane and his buddies just laughed while I tried to put as much distance between them and me as I could without getting too close to the pool.

"I'm serious!" I shouted. "If I die, you'll be known as the jerk that killed me." I pulled my coat tighter, ignoring the burning sensation on my body that came from the sun and the layers I was wearing.

"Cleo, you won't die from a little water. You're going in." His tone was firm and he wasn't going to give up until I went in.

I decided to try to beg one last time. "Please, Zane, you don't understand—" I was cut off, and the wind whipped my ears, and my screams were mixed in with Zane's dark laughter.

Water filled my lungs, and I coughed underwater. I twirled my legs as I tried to figure what had just happened—Zane pushed me.

When I surfaced, coughing and sputtering, and trying to wipe the excess chlorinated water from my eyes, which were probably making them turn red. I saw Zane's friends walking into the house where the rest of the guests lie.

I swam uncontrollably to the edge, where I clung on and took deep, shaky breaths, trying to calm myself. I looked up to see Zane, grinning ear to ear. No one else was here, which was a bad thing. I'd rather take everyone at the party knowing I was a mermaid over Zane Bennett. Seriously.

"This is gold!" Zane said, giddily stretching out his arm to me, which in his hand a red phone. He was going to take a picture of me!

I snatched the phone angrily from his hand and drowned it in the water. "Hey!" he shouted. "That was new!"

"Listen Zane, there's something I need to tell you," I said. "I really don't want you to freak out, but you should know..." I looked behind me to see my legs magically bubble and transform into a long, shiny bronze-orange tail. I slowly looked back at Zane to see his expression.

"Oh my God..." he whispered, horrified at the sight he was seeing. He stumbled backwards, his face wearing an expression of utter disgust.

"I'm so sorry!" I said. "I really didn't want you to find out! _Please_ don't tell!"

It took him a minute to gather himself back up, and when he did, he inched closer to me to get a better look. "Are you kidding?" he said. I gulped, knowing I had lost. I had barely been a mermaid for long, and I was already exposed. I hung my head low until I felt a light tapping on my head. I looked up to see Zane, his arm extended. "I would never tell anyone."

I smiled gratefully, and took his outstretched hand. I couldn't believe Zane, local bad boy, snotty rich kid Zane Bennett would actually help _me_ out!

Zane struggled to pull me up by my arms. I felt like my arms would be ripped out of their sockets when Zane tried harder to get me out. He was probably having a hard time because my tail was too heavy. That thought made me blush a deep crimson red.

While he was tugging me out of the pool, grunting and wheezing, I couldn't help but think if this was just a façade. Was he just trying to show me he was man enough to handle that I was a mermaid? Was he just showing me he could easily lug me out of the pool? I ignored the burning sensation in my arms where Zane was pulling me up, and said, "Zane? Why are you doing this?"

He stopped for a second, and I was just standing upright in air, a few inches of my tail submerged in the water. To get him to start pulling me up again, I splashed him with my tail. He shook off the excess water, and said, sputtering, "Right, sorry." He continued to pull me up, and answered my question: "What do you mean?"

"Like, we've been enemies for so long. Why the change in heart? Once you pull me out, and my tail disappears, are you going to call out everyone? Then throw me back into the water like a helpless little goldfish?" My tail was now out of the water, so I swung it onto the concrete side and rested down on the pool's edge, grateful that it was over. Then I looked up into Zane's wide eyes, scanning my tail.

"No," he said bluntly. "I wouldn't do that, Cleo. I may be...you know, a snobby rich kid, as you put it, but we've known each other for so long, and I couldn't do that to you." He knelt down besides me and smiled.

This was wrong. I felt a weird panging feeling, telling me this was supposed to be someone else. I averted my eyes away from Zane and to my dripping wet tail. "What do I do now? It'll take forever to dry this!"

"Is that how it goes away?" Zane asked, looking at my tail, probably still deciding if his eyes were deceiving him or not. I bit my lip, feeling like I had given out too much already.

"Cleo!" a voice called out. I swiveled my head to see Emma and Rikki jogging around the bend to get to us. Once they saw us, their eyes widened in shock and horror.

Rikki, the first to recover, asked, "Where are the others?"

"Inside," I replied in my shaky voice. I had forgotten about them. What happened if they came out and caught me?

Rikki and Emma ran back around the bend. I turned back to my tail and uselessly rubbed my hands on it, trying to dry it quicker. "It's no use!" I wailed. "I'll have to air dry."

"Emma froze the door!" Rikki called as my two friends jogged back to us. "Now what are we going to do about you?"

"Wait...Emma _froze_ the door?" Zane said in shock. "How is that possible?"

"Oh, it's possible," insisted Emma. "See, Cleo isn't the only one with a tail...or powers."

"You too?" Zane said, raising an eyebrow. Rikki gave him a devious smile and crossed her arms. "And Rikki? The three of you?" He looked at me, as if to ask me if it was true—I was the one sitting on the concrete with a tail, after all.

"Yeah," I said. "But that still doesn't change the fact that my tail is here for anyone to see if they ever unfreeze the door!" It was possible. In this heat, the ice wouldn't last long.

"Well, you see Cleo, I can help," Rikki said with a smile. Frankly, I was confused. She didn't have a towel or anything on her to dry me.

Instead, she knelt down by me, and told everyone to stand back. They obeyed, all except for me. Rikki balled her fist over my tail, and soon everything seemed to heat up. Wisps of fine steam danced around my face, making it bead with sweat. My tail began to sting. I winced in at the heat and the feeling of dread that someone would pop out a corner and see my tail.

It didn't take long for Rikki to finish. Soon, my heavy clothes were back on my body, layered up and making me sweat even more. I fanned myself with my hand as I exclaimed, "Rikki, you found your power!"

She beamed in pride at me and shrugged as if it was nothing. Zane, bewildered, said, "Okay, I am officially overly confused. _What_ is going on?"

"We'll explain later. Right now we have to get the heck out of this place!" Emma cried, and we all shot to our feet and ran out the exit, never looking back.

I realized, the whole time Zane was helping me, something felt off. It felt as if the story were supposed to go another way, and someone was supposed to take Zane's place. I caught up to Rikki, who was jogging just a few paces ahead of me, and said while unraveling my scarf, "Rikki? Did you and Emma try to get someone to go to the pool party to check up on me?"

Rikki blinked in surprise. "Well, yeah. Emma and I were hiding behind some rocks, and I was demonstrating my newfound power when Lewis came along, ready to fish. We tried to get him to go to the party and bring you home, but he refused."

Lewis. Five simple letters. I just_ knew_ something was amiss. It was supposed to be _Lewis._

I looked over to Zane, who wore the same expression as when he saw my tail: utter disbelief. I shuddered, thinking again of Lewis. It could have been Lewis, not Zane. I wish it _was_ Lewis instead of Zane to tell you the truth. But now Zane knew, and nothing would change the way he thought of us now. If only it was Lewis.

**A/N: Reviews would be appreciated. I just want to say that I don't need any suggestions at the moment XD. So sorry again for the slow update. Here is an update on my mystery story: I am currently working on the end of chapter two. I realized each chapter takes longer to write than I had expected, pretty much because of details and that the chapters are longer than what I usually write (about double as long, if not longer.) I'm actually really enjoying writing it, so I hope when it comes out you will read it. I need to write some more chapters before I post it. I currently am unsure of the title, but it'll come to me (I hope :)) So for now, hope you liked, and till next time! Ciao.**


	7. Story Seven

**A/N: OMG, so sorry I haven't updated in a while! It's just I've been crazy busy with my new story, school, after school activities, ect. So with that said, here's another story!**

Story 7: What if the girls didn't 'lose' their powers in "A Twist in the Tail", but killed Denman and her crew instead?

**(Suggestion by Marril96)**

**Rikki POV**

I don't cry. My name is Rikki Chadwick, your average fiery tomboy, wasn't a wimp, and certainly did not cry. But why did I feel like it at that moment?

"I guess it really is over," I whispered, holding in those tears. I shuffled my feet in the gritty sand in front of the moon pool, and stared at the majestic waters in front of me. It looked glorious. If I didn't have any common sense right then, I would have gladly taken a dip in the pool. I sighed, and watched as the moon started to shadow over the top of the moon pool, illuminating the pool. I smiled, remembering when we first became mermaids—the bubbling reminded me of that great night.

It wasn't time yet; the moon was just simply hanging over top of the moon pool. The eclipse hadn't started yet; oh no, that was the grand finale. The only thing we could do was stand here and wait, which hurt the most.

How could it all be over? It had barley started! Not even a year ago had the magic started, and now we were so careless and thoughtless as to get this close to danger. Now, we would pay the price.

Suddenly, the moon pool began to froth rapidly, and we all looked at each other curiously. Wasn't the eclipse supposed to do that? I glanced up at the top. No, it still hadn't come yet. We were losing time. We had to hurry.

To our worry, a small blonde head popped out of the moon pool, all smiles. I gulped; what was Denman doing here? This wasn't part of our plan! She looked strong and fearless, but there was something else I sensed mixed in there too. Was it...fright? Terror? No, it couldn't be.

Also to our discourage, two male figures popped out of the water too, all wearing the same kind of wet suit as Denman. They pulled themselves out of the moon pool. The two assistants of Denman took place, one on each of our sides, as if to corner and intimidate us. We were surrounded, one of them for each of us. Which was better, giving up our powers forever or being locked in a cage with powers forever?

"Stay where you are," viciously ordered Denman, but we didn't obey.

"Think you scare us?" Cleo said in an intimidating voice, and for once I was surprised. Since when did Cleo have a hidden dark and fearless side? Because right now, I was feeling pretty scared. And that was strange. Maybe our personalities switched for a while.

Cleo clawed her hand to the moon pool, mentally telling it to snake up and obey her. A thick water tentacle danced out of the moon pool, and with a grunt, Cleo forced her hand to boldly shoot towards one of Denman's wicked assistants. The tentacle obeyed its creator, and shot towards the doctor, knocking him to off his feet and landing with a sickening thud on the sandy ground. After that was over, and the only thing left in that area was an unmoving sidekick and wet sand, I stared. Why wasn't he getting back up to fight? Weren't they stronger than that?

Cleo put down her hand, and I forced myself to look away, convincing myself that what I saw was just an unconscious man. I just didn't want to see this. Just in case it was what I thought it was.

Seeing the man and how powerful Cleo was, the other assistant stumbled towards us, arms outstretched, trying to capture us in his claws.

Emma jumped into action then, and simply held out her hand and froze his wetsuit around him. I inwardly cringed at the sight of him struggling in his suit. He eventually fell backwards onto the sand, unmoving, just like the first guy. I couldn't believe my eyes, but they were speaking the truth.

Two down, one to go, I could basically hear ring in all of our minds, the evil sides, the sides that wanted revenge. We turned to see Denman, cornered, and looking helpless. It was fun to watch her for the first time look stranded and looking at our work in awe, like we were the most interesting creatures ever.

Suddenly, all of my fear of her washed away. Now, it was the other way around. _She_ feared _us_, and _we_ were in charge now. It felt good to be powerful, and it made me feel good. I knew I didn't want to switch spots with Denman again; oh no, not when I found out how fun it was to watch her squirm under our cold and evil glances.

We all put up and out our hands, each in a different position—Cleo's in a claw, Emma's as a 'stop' position, and my fingers curling towards the center of my palm.

"Stop!" she cried in horror. "Please! We can work together! Give me another chance, I'm begging you."

"It's too late," I said in a threatening voice. Cleo and Emma agreed simultaneously; they didn't say anything, but I could _feel _it.

I heard a noise then. A loud one, too. The girls and I turned to see the moon pool bubbling frantically. The eclipse was just overhead, and I knew if we didn't jump in now, it'd be too late. We all looked at each other, waiting for one of us to make a move or do something, but we never did.

The moon pool eventually stopped bubbling, and returned to its calm and peaceful phase. We once again returned our stares on each other, and realized the horrible truth: we'd given up the opportunity to give up our powers and not risk becoming a freak show; now we were left in the wrath of Dr. Denman. We had to fix that. We knew what we had to do.

Emma, Cleo and I turned back to Denman, who looked pretty shaken up about all this. I didn't blame her. She had recently found out that mermaids existed, just found out how powerful our abilities were, and watched it firsthand. Now she just saw a work of magic happen. Seriously, a lot to take in!

We all raised our hands to Denman, where she looked at us, frightened like a scared rabbit. Funny, I'd always pictured her stronger than this, now she was weak and fragile. Perfect for us, not so good for her.

Cleo twisted her hand one way, and then the other, concentrating hard, her eyes narrowed. Denman clutched herself in agony, trying to rid the pain that was coursing throughout her.

I didn't want her to have all the fun, so I started curling my hand in a ball towards Denman. I thought about stopping for the sake of herself when she fell to her knees in pain, but then my mind was clouded with how many horrible things she did to us in the past, and I just clenched harder and more accurate.

I felt Emma join in too, freezing Denman so she felt a freezer burn and a regular burn in herself at the same time, not to mention her blood twisting this way and that, jerking her into hysterics.

She was yelling for us to stop now, and it almost made me stop forever when I realized how heartless what we were doing to her was. But this was the price she had to pay; this was her decision. She knew it'd come back to bite her one day, she just was not expecting it to be now.

Denman fell to her side, clutching herself in torture, having mini spasms on the ground from what Cleo was doing. Some parts of her skin were patches of blue from cold and some red from the intense burning.

Suddenly, I don't think she could take it anymore. She stopped jerking, stopped yelling, and just went limp. I went into shock when I felt her heart just stop altogether.

We all stood in awe, staring at the now dead Denman, sprawled on her side, her eyes drooping. She was beginning to adopt that 'dead' look on her face, and her skin was turning a bit gray and cold, but there were still visible red and blue marks across her skin.

It all came to me then. What were we to do now? We certainly couldn't leave them here. What if someone suspected it was _us_ that did this? They would send police after us! We have to run away, run away to somewhere safe and no one would suspect who and what we were.

"Come on," Emma said coldly and dryly. "There are more on the boat."

I looked at her anxiously. Denman's boat? We were going to Denman's boat? We were going to..._kill_...the rest of Denman's crew? I looked over to see what Cleo thought of the whole situation, but she was just nodding in agreement. How could she be so calm about all this when I was mentally freaking out?

I tilted my chin up to the moon pool overhead. The full moon was already passed it, but it was still sort of visible through the top. I then realized something weird: I was staring at the full moon, and yet I wasn't moonstruck. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that there was an eclipse.

I turned to Emma and Cleo, and saw that they were looking up at the moon, too, just with different expressions. Different from mine, theirs was a mix of excitement and seriousness. I gaped as they looked away, and Emma said hardly, "Let's go," and led Cleo out of the moon pool by flawlessly diving into the pool.

I reluctantly followed, thinking the whole way. How come they looked like they were in a trance when looking at the moon? And I was so calm? And how could they have killed Denman's crew so easily, without any regret?

Then it hit me: they were moonstruck. The _real_ Cleo and Emma would never do that in real life, they'd much rather give up their powers. But why hadn't I been moonstruck? I looked at the moon. Whatever it was, I had some sort of moon block on eclipses I guessed. Even so, I would have to explain what had happened to Emma and Cleo that night. All I knew was, we were in serious trouble.

**A/N: Once again, so sorry for the late update! Hoped you liked it! Review please, hoping to update more often :)**


	8. Story Eight

**A/N: Hey guys, enjoy this chapter, and please review!**

Story Eight: What if Byron Saw Emma as a Mermaid in "Moon Spell"?

**(Suggestion by Marril98)**

_**-Emma POV-**_

"Stay here," ordered a bossy Rikki, hovering above me like my mother telling me I was confined to my room.

"And don't cause any trouble," Cleo added, sending a glance Rikki's way.

Cause what trouble? I hadn't caused any trouble. Oh, no. I had just told people what I thought about them. Wasn't that called the truth? I was supposed to tell the truth. Not lie, like some people.

I shrugged, and playfully splashed the two girls. They backed up quickly, not getting wet. I frowned. What was wrong with getting wet?

I swished my hands back and forth in the hot tub I was in. There was a limited range of space, so I was pretty much stuck with staying in place. Why did we have this hot tub anyway? It was a mockery. It dare try to replace the vast oceans with its hot, bubbly waters? What a disgrace! Soon I shall tell the hot tub what I thought of it. Oh yes, that would be great!

Cleo and Rikki went back inside my house—probably to tell all my guests that I hadn't meant what I'd said. That thought made me laugh out loud. I had certainly meant it, it was the truth!

I heard a shuffling coming from the back door, and I thought it was Cleo or Rikki coming back to get me. "Sardines," I wailed, suddenly immersed in the thought of their delicious flavor. "Cleo, Rikki, give me sardines!"

"You like sardines?" came a stunned voice. That's when Byron appeared. He was wearing a suit and tie, probably here for what everyone else was here for—my dad's party. What a joke. Who would want a party cramped inside with all those lie-telling losers? I know I'd want _my_ party to be outdoors, swimming with the fish.

"Byron, make me a promise," I said, seducing him to come forward. He kneeled down in front of the hot tub. I realized no shock came to his face—he didn't see my tail. It was camouflaged with the rest of the dark night. I smiled at how great this was.

"And what's that promise?" he asked, putting his face closer to mine.

"I want a birthday party in the ocean," I said, putting on my best pouty-face. I knew Byron was easy at giving into your demands, so this would be a piece of cake.

But, instead a confused, "What?" escaped his lips, and he shook his head. "Emma, what are you talking about?"

"Just promise me," I insisted, like just doing that simple task would be enough for me. Mesmerized, he nodded his frozen head.

"Thank you," I said in my best sexy voice. "Now you get a thank you present." At the same time, we both leaned in and got rid of the hardly there distance between our faces, and connected out lips. I could feel that Byron liked it. Why did kisses make boys so vulnerable to girls? All someone had to do was have a make out session with someone and—boom! —instantly they could have anything. It confused me, really, but I continued the kiss anyway.

We broke apart, too soon for him, apparently. To break the silence, he said, "So, whom exactly would you invite to the party?"

What a dumb question. "I couldn't trust anyone to invite. Everyone is just a lying person. I'd just go by myself."

He muttered to himself, "One heck of a party."

"I could entertain myself, too," I insisted, wanting him to see my point of view. "I could be my magician."

"You know some card tricks?" Byron asked, raising an eyebrow as if he'd never in his life heard such buffoonery.

"Something like that," I said ominously. I turned away from him, and said, "I need to show you something."

With the hand I wasn't using to cling onto the pool's edge, I held out my hand in stop sign position, instantly freezing about half of the hot tub, and chilling the side I was on that wasn't frozen in a block of ice.

I smiled, used to the coldness, because I was used to the ocean. What mermaid wasn't? I turned back to Byron, who had an awestruck look on his face. He pointed to the ice with a shaky hand and fear ridden eyes, and said, "Is that some kind of magic trick?"

"Magic? Yes. Trick? No," I explained, and carefully took his arm, not wanting to startle him. "I need to show you something."

I hoisted myself up a bit so that my tail floated out of the dark water and onto the surface. Stunned, Byron took a step back.

"M-Mermaid?" he stumbled. He took another forced step back.

"Don't leave," I pleaded. After a moment, Byron started walking forward.

"Yes, that's it," I said in a hauntingly beautiful voice. "Come here. Don't make me _sing_ to you," I teased, making fun of those ancient siren stories.

Soon, Byron was back in his kneeling position by the hot tub. "I just didn't want to lie anymore," I whispered in an innocent voice. "Help me not lie anymore, Byron." We edged closer, and soon were caught in our second kiss of the night.

We kissed for longer than normal. Maybe it was Byron's way of saying, "Hey! You want me to keep your secret? Kiss me longer!" It was irritating.

Also, throughout the kiss angry thoughts that just popped into my head were now whirring around. I had shown Byron my secret, something I had worked _so_ hard on to keep hidden, and he wanted to leave with it without saying a simple thank you! He might have leaked it to somebody else, too. I bet he would've. Suddenly, Byron wasn't looking like such a great guy in my eyes anymore.

I should drown him. Yes, I should. He might tell my secret if I don't. So that's what I'd do. I'd drown him and my secret, too.

I brought him closer to the surface of the water, making him lean farther and farther while I just sunk lower and lower into the water. I knew Byron wanted me—he would've broken the kiss already if he hadn't. But no, he didn't realize he was going to die soon. He didn't realize I'd pull him into the water and hold him down there for a long, _long_ time.

I finally got him to about the surface, where just about the only things sticking up out of the water where my eyes and nose and mouth. I was going to give him one last tug so he'd go toppling under, but he decided to open his eyes and break the kiss just before the good stuff started happening.

"What are you doing?" Byron said, realizing how close he was to the water. I decided to act before he had time to pull away in despair.

I grabbed his tie, which was already dangling half in the water, and was about to give it a huge yank when three voices cried, "Emma!"

I let go of his tie, and he stumbled back. I saw that the three voices belonged to Byron, Rikki and Cleo.

"What were you doing, Emma?" Cleo asked, then immediately settled her eyes on my tail and the half frozen hot tub. "Oh, no..."

Rikki jumped at the chance. "Byron, it's not what it looks like..."

"Cool it, I know everything," Byron said. I rolled my eyes. Obviously he didn't know _everything_, only that I was a mermaid in the hot tub.

"I just didn't want to lie anymore," I said. Then I splashed the girls, but I did it so quickly and sneakily that they didn't see it coming. "You guys shouldn't, either."

The girls looked at each other, like deciding mentally what to do, but the jig was already up, so they just transformed right in front of Byron's eyes.

"There are more of you?" he said, shocked and astounded. He ran his hands worriedly through his hair. "What do I do?"

"_I'll_ tell you what you're going to do," Rikki said, always one to tell people off. "You're going to keep our secret, because Emma is moonstruck and you obviously weren't supposed to find out about all this."

"Moonstruck?" Byron said, confused, and for the first time I shared the same emotion as him. Moonstruck? What was that word? Being moonstruck must be good, and the girls are jealous because I'm moonstruck and they're not. I mean, being moonstruck _had_ to be a good thing. It had the word moon in it, right? And what was bad about the moon? The moon was pure good.

"Moonstruck," I said dreamily. "At my party, I want to be moonstruck."

"What is she babbling about?" Cleo asked Byron, but instead I answered.

"He promised me a party," I said, pointing to him.

"She wanted to swim in the ocean, which makes sense to me now," Byron explained.

At that moment, it seemed like what I just said was gone, taken away with the breeze, as if it never happened. I forgot everything, even things from a few seconds ago. _Whoosh_, there they went, out of my head.

I shook my head, trying to get back my memories. "What just happened?" I asked.

My stomach dropped as I realized the scene: Cleo and Rikki were lying on the ground as mermaids, I was in the hot tub with a tail, and half of it was thawing ice, and Byron was there, soaking up the whole scene.

Half-heartedly, I said, "What did I miss?"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! I know I enjoyed Emma's randomness! BTW, I don't need any more ideas for a while XD. Also, I am on the verge of updating I Thought She Was Dead real soon. Review, please, I appreciate them!


	9. Story Nine

A/N: Sorry that it's been a while since I've updated this story. Haven't updated since June (my bad.) I've just been warped in with my other story, again, sorry. Since it's been so long, I totally lost track of what suggestion I'm on; I have so many. So I just did a random one that caught me eye. But next time I update it'll all be in order, just for this time I need to bend my rules. Okay, now relax your mind and enjoy the story.

Story Nine: What if Kim was Cleo's Twin, and They Did Everything Together?

**(Suggestion by GothGirl69)**

_**-Cleo POV-**_

"Dad, I'm going shopping, be back by dinner!" I called into the probably empty house. I turned to let myself out of the house and to Emma's place, when a face popped in front of mine.

"Gah!" I shouted, staggering backwards. I looked into the frowning face of my fraternal twin, Kim Sertori.

"God, Kim, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I cried, clutching my bag in fright. "What are you doing?"

"You're going shopping?" asked Kim. "Can I come? I'll grab my jacket!"

"No, Kim," I said sternly. "I'm going with Emma."

"I'm friends with Emma!" Kim beamed psychotically.

"No, you aren't," I argued. "She thinks you're annoying, and so do I."

Kim Sertori was my fraternal twin. We were both fifteen years old, had the same brown hair and hazel green eyes, yet I still thought our faces looked different. Hers was a paler complexion and rounder face, while mine was tan and shaped differently. Still, Kim made it an unhealthy habit to go everywhere with me. And I do mean _everywhere._

"So I can go?" Kim asked annoyingly for the tenth time as I tried to wiggle past her.

"No, Kim, go hang out with your own friends!" I shouted.

"Your friends _are_ my friends!" Kim sang. "So you're saying I should hang out with them. Hence, I should hang out with Emma. So I can go?"

"God, Kim, _move_!" I cried, pushing past her with an uncalled for move, knocking her away. I slammed the door in her face loudly, only to catch a glimpse of a face that looked like mine, but sorrowed.

_**-Kim POV-**_

That annoying Cleo. Who needed her?

_You do,_ I thought to myself. I agreed. I always wanted to hang out with her, but she always shied away from me and shut me out like I was some random weird person asking for a phone number.

Maybe Cleo was right. Maybe we did need some space, even though we are twins. Maybe I should make my own friends, and try to do my own things. I mean, Cleo is horrible at drawing, that's why she never did it. So I never did it, even though it looked pretty fun and I thought I would be good at it. And even if I sucked, I could still try. Was that what Cleo meant? To try new things apart from each other? There were plenty of people I wanted to go up and introduce myself to them, make friends with them, but I couldn't. Cleo wasn't friends with them. Maybe it was time to step out on a new path...  
_No,_ I urged myself. You need to be like Cleo. You need to love the same activities as her and have the same friends as her. You needed to try everything with her, be in every picture with her, and wear the same things as her. Even go everywhere with her.

It was crazy, I decided. How could I go everywhere with her if she was on her way right now to Emma's, then to the mall? Suddenly I had an idea. And this time, Cleo couldn't stop me.

_**-Cleo POV-**_

I was glad I finally got Kim off my back. Hopefully she'd take the hint and go do her own things with her own friends. In truth, I loved Kim—I mean, she was my sister, right? But I hated how she was so clingy. Kim would be an amazing person if she just grew her own personality and her own interests apart from mine.

My mixed thinking got me all the way to Emma's house. I hopped up her front steps and knocked on her door. Emma opened the door with a bag strung across her shoulder, and a grinning face standing in front of her.

"Hi, Cleo!" Elliott, Emma's little brother said.

"Hello, Elliott," I said politely.

"We're going to the mall, and no, you cannot come," Emma said to Elliott, and he pouted.

"Ok-ay," he said, stretching out the word as if he was stalling his sister to go. "But pick me up a new shirt, and I'll pay you back."

"No problem," Emma said. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Elliott," I called behind the shutting door as Emma stepped out with me.

Emma and I walked off the front stoop and onto the hot driveway. "I wish I had a brother like yours," I couldn't help comment.

Emma looked at me weirdly. "Pesky, annoying and weird?"

"No," I said. "I mean, he wanted to go, but you told him he couldn't, and he just backed right off. I wish it were the same between me and Kim."

Emma cringed. "Ugh, Kim," she said. "What did she do this time?"

"She whined and cried and begged to go to the mall with us. It's like she thinks that because she's my twin, we must do _everything_ together. It gets rather irritating. She also thinks my friends are her friends." I blew air out my lips.

"Frightening," Emma said.

"I know, I hate living with her."

"Not for you, for me!"

"What? Why?"

Emma squarely looked me in the eye. "She thinks I'm her friend too. So she has a reason to stalk me!"

We both burst out in laughter at the thought of Kim stalking Emma in her sleep. We continued our laughter until we got downtown.

_**-Kim POV-**_

Must. Not. Make. A. Sound.

I stealthily crept down the street, hiding in bushes as often as possible. I always kept my distance, but worried I would keep the pacing Cleo out of sight.

She looked as if she was in deep thought, and for a minute or two I believed she'd take a wrong turn on the way to Emma's and wind us both up in a different neighborhood. But she took direction and led us both to the way of Emma's.

Cleo stepped up and knocked three times on the door. Emma appeared with Elliott entwined between her legs. Words were exchanged, and Emma and Cleo were off on their way.

I walked close before them, amazed that they couldn't hear me. I continued until I heard my name. I strained to hear, but I heard, "Ugh, Kim. What did she do this time?"

I wanted to shout, "Hey! I can hear you!" but that would obviously blow my cover, so I kept my mouth shut.

"She whined and cried and begged to go to the mall with us. It's like she thinks that because she's my twin, we must do _everything_ together. It gets rather irritating. She also thinks my friends are her friends." I wanted to protest. I was _not_ that clingy to her.

_Please. Look at yourself!_ said a tiny voice in the back of my head. I looked down at my crouching figure; tiny bleeding scrapes covering my knees from the twigs on the ground. _You're hiding behind a bush for Pete's sake!_

For a brief second I considered turning around and heading home. A _brief_ second. I then decided that I was being paranoid. Cleo didn't enjoy my company now, but once she saw that we were truly twins, she'd see the error in her ways. All I have to do is earn her trust.

I followed them as they got down to the marina. They strolled down the docks like nobody's business, heading in the direction of the mall, when I was busy hopping behind boat to boat and trying to blend in and look casual, not like a stalker. I was actually getting the hang of it when I heard a, "Hey!"

_**-Cleo POV-**_

"Hey!" My head snapped up, along with Emma's in the direction of the cry. It came from a curly blond on one of the docks. She was trying to step away from the dock, but Zane was blocking her.

I was going to keep on walking, but a nagging voice in my head told me to lend a hand. I started pacing to the dock, Emma following along on my trail.

"Zane, Zane, Zane," I said in a disapproving voice. "I know you're trying to get to a new level of perv, but seriously? Blocking someone from leaving?"

"I'm not blocking her," Zane said defensively as the curly blond ducked out of the way to try to run, but he kept his ground. "This chick stole my spark plug for my Zodiac, and I'm just returning the favor."

"I did not, dumb ass!" she said hotly, and was about to punch him straight in the face, when he ducked.

"Feisty. We'll see who's the feisty one when I get my dad's lawyer into this. You stay here, or you'll be in much bigger trouble when we hunt you down." With that, Zane left in a huff.

"We'll see who's the feisty one when I get my dad's lawyer into this," she said in a high-pitched voice, mimicking Zane. "Can you believe that guy? What a spoiled pig."

"Oh, I can believe it," Emma said reassuringly, and the curly blond rose an eyebrow. "Um, I mean Cleo and I have known him since we were three. He's always been that bratty."

"Cleo," she breathed, acknowledging me. "Like Cleopatra? I like it. My name is Rikki. And who are you?" She turned to Emma.

"Emma Gilbert. And don't mind Zane, he's always been like that. You get used to it," Emma said.

"Zane," Rikki said. "Such a nice name, given to such a not nice person. Figures." She shrugged, and then looked down the marina. "He's gone. Perfect chance." Rikki started running down the dock, took a great leap, and I thought she was going to land in the water when she was really aiming for Zane's Zodiac. She landed with grace, and motioned for us to follow.

"Are you crazy?" I asked, Emma and I jogging down to the end of the dock to look at her. "You said you don't have the spark plug, so it's obviously missing if Zane doesn't have it. So what are we supposed to do? Sit in the boat and wait for Zane?" I then stopped. "Wait, or did you steal the spark plug?"

She snorted. "Not likely. I'm not a crook." She then bent down and pressed something down. That something turned out to be a latch, and the seat in the Zodiac leaned back to open a secret cubby under the seat. She rummaged around until she pulled out something that resembled a flash drive, but as I took a closer look, it wasn't a flash drive after all. "No, I didn't steal it. But I did hide it." She smiled, turning, and sitting in the driver seat. She then plugged in the spark plug, and turned the Zodiac on.

"I agree. She's crazy," Emma said, completely stunned.

Rikki patted the seat next to her. "Come on. What could go wrong?"

I thought long and hard. What could go wrong? Well, we could be caught and arrested for robbery. Or we could finally get back at Zane for all he's done. I turned to Emma, with a confident look on my face, and said, "Let's go." I almost forgot about my fear of water as I took a bounded jump off the edge of the dock. Halfway to the boat I freaked out, and landed off-balance. Rikki caught me, and carefully helped me sit down.

"Are you coming?" Rikki asked impatiently.

Emma seemed to think over the pros and cons of getting in, but finally decided to leap off the edge and land smoothly on the boat.

"Welcome to the club, population three," Rikki said, smiling, as she revved the engine. "Hold on!" Before I knew it, we were off into the deep blue ocean.

_**-Kim POV-**_

I watched in awe as Cleo and even the ever-careful Emma drove off with a stranger who called herself Rikki in a stolen boat. The boat slid over the ocean, cutting it in half smoothly and leaving ripples.

I didn't know what to do. It was obvious that I'd reached the end of the line. I definitely could not go any further. I decided I would grab quick juice and head home, defeated. I came out from my hiding spot from behind a tree and began to trod up to The JuiceNet Café.

Along the way, I bumped into the shoulder of Zane Bennett. "Damn it," he swore. "I _knew_ she had my spark plug."

"She didn't have it," I said to myself matter-of-factly. "She hid it. Clever thing to do, actually." I had obviously heard and seen everything from my hiding spot.

Zane turned to me. He remained silent, and thought his way out of his situation. He opened his mouth, and I was ready to deny everything, when he hit me on my weak spot. "Actually it was a pretty dumb thing." He squinted out into the sun. "Looks like they are heading to Mako Island."

My mouth was dry. Mako Island was a deserted island with a dormant volcano as its main exhibit. All I knew was that there were sharp corals and Mako sharks surrounding the place.

"Mako?" I squeaked. "Cleo—I mean they—could get hurt!"

"Yeah," Zane said, shrugging. "Go figure."

I then made it my duty to protect my sister. No matter how much she hated me, Cleo was my twin and I needed to help her. If she died, it would automatically be _my_ fault over others. _I_ was the one hiding, and I could have easily stopped her. Plus, if she died, I would basically be nothing. A half without the other. Peanut butter without jelly. I just was not whole without Cleo; I had no one to follow. I made up my mind then and there. No matter how much I hated Zane (one of the only things Cleo and I actually _agreed_ on), I had to help Cleo.

I took a deep breath and said, "How fast can you get me a boat?"

OoOoO

The answer was pretty darn fast. Zane hit me where it hurt most. He gave me a speed boat (promising me he'd murder me if I scratched it) and I was currently off and running. I knew Zane was only in on this to get his Zodiac back and Rikki in trouble, but I really didn't care at the moment. All I wanted was my sister home and safe.

I sped down the ocean, knowing they'd probably already be at Mako by the time I arrived.

And I was right. I dragged the boat onto shore, where I found the Zodiac discarded, the only remnants of Cleo, Emma and Rikki was Emma's purse, only thing missing was her phone.

I began to climb the rocks. I needed to find the other girls, which was going to be hard. The whole of Mako was pretty darn big, and it would be a coincidence if I found them. I was just here to help any injured person (I would be more concerned if it were Cleo, though.)

I stepped onto a moss-covered rock, taking my time not to slip. Though no matter how hard I tried, I managed to trip and twist my ankle.

Thinking of Cleo, I shook it off and stood up. I put a bit of pressure on my foot. It hurt just a bit, but not so much that I thought it would be needed to worry about. I continued my journey.

I was busy pulling myself up onto a rock and trying to shoo away the small spider on my shoulder when I heard voices. I craned my neck to hear, "Jump, Cleo, jump! It's the only way to make it across the rocks."

I ducked behind a small boulder and peeked out to see the ground of two rocks, each covered with thick patches of moss here and there. In between the rocks was a space a few feet wide, and the pit led to who knows where. Emma and Rikki were waiting patiently on the right rock, Emma waving her phone high in the air, and Rikki tapping her foot impatiently, arms crossed. Cleo was on the left rock, stepping on a patch without any moss, as if debating whether or not to jump.

"Cleo!" Emma called, and Cleo jumped. My heart leapt up to my throat just as Cleo landed. Rikki and Emma cheered.

I thought it was over, but that was before I realized Cleo landed on moss and she slipped and fell, but not to the ground. She fell down a seemingly invisible hole.

"Cleo!" Emma cried, and the two girls rushed over to the hole. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," came the echoed reply, slightly stalled. "Help me! It's too steep to climb."

"I'm going down," Emma bravely said.

"But what good would that do?" Rikki asked, but it was too late, for Emma was already sliding head first down the hole.

I watched as Rikki peered down the depthless hole. "What should I do?" Rikki called down. No reply. "Hello?" she called again. Still no reply. I was getting worried. "Screw this," I barely heard her mutter, and she dove into the hole.

I knew there was no way they were getting out, so I quickly crept to the hole. I heard echoes of Emma, Cleo and Rikki, frantically arguing and deciding how to get out. I heard the loud Emma's voice say, "Look! Over there! There might be an exit!"

I heard footsteps that died away and soon disappeared all together.

I started biting my fingernails nervously. What should I do? Well, obviously follow them to keep Cleo out of trouble!

I sat down at the opening of the hole, peering down to see if I could see anything in the way of my slide. I came to be disappointed when I figured it was all pitch blackness. I held my breath, pushed off with my hands, and slid down silently.

"Oof!" I couldn't help but yell as I landed, toppling over myself. I sat up and brushed myself off. I did not expect the slide to be that fast.

I then noticed my surroundings. I was in a shallow cave, surrounded by massive black walls that sparkled as if covered with diamonds. I touched the ceiling (not hard to do since it wasn't that high up) and found it just to be slightly damp. I peered around, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dark, when I saw what Emma, Cleo and Rikki saw: ragged black rock stairs jutting out, as if waiting for anyone to step on them. They seemed to lead somewhere.

I stood up, ducking slightly to keep my head from hitting the rooftop. I then stepped on the black rock, but quickly took my foot off. I was afraid that I was either going to slip on its shiny surface, or it would crumble beneath my weight. I decided to risk it.

I slowly ascended the staircase. It climbed slowly higher and higher, though not by much. I came nearer to some voices.

"Come on Cleo. You can do it. What, do you want to be stuck here forever?" came the bossy and demanding voice of Rikki. I met the exit, but quickly hid behind a wall so the trio wouldn't see me.

Let's just say the scenery was beautiful. So many other words to describe it, but beautiful covered quite a bit. I knew I had found the heart of the island: the volcano, symbolizing the middle of Mako was the shell we were in. The cone of it was at the top, and you could see the starry sky out of the hole at the top, the bright full moon almost over it. Under it, there was a magnificent pool of water, where Emma now was treading water, her hair slicked back with water as if she'd already gone under. Rikki was next to her, her curly hair still dry, but the ends of it floating in the crystal clear water. Cleo only had her shoeless feet in the pool, mixing up the water that came beneath them. I recalled how Cleo always hated water (and because of that, I had sworn I would be afraid of water, too.)

She took a brave, deep breath and said, "How many seconds?"

Emma shrugged. "Twenty, give or take five seconds. Not long at all."

Cleo snorted. "For you," she muttered, crossing her arms and looking away in my direction. For a brief second I thought she spotted me, but I hid more and she seemed to counter herself, as if seeing me wasn't real.

Rikki extended her hand, hypnotizing Cleo with her eyes. Cleo soon agreed, and took her hand, plunging underwater. After three seconds, she came up for air.

They were going to exit, but that was before the moon came over the opening of the volcano. The water began to do something weird: it was bubbling rapidly.

"Cleo!" I screamed, finally giving away my identity. Cleo, surprised that I was there and by the bubbling, gasped. I ran and jumped in the pool, attempting to save her.

I was underwater for a while, trapped between the girls legs. The frothing of the water didn't help. I guessed it was some sort of hot tub, even though the water wasn't at all warm.

No matter how much I fought, I couldn't get to the surface or see. Once the bubbling had ceased, the girls made a space for me to come up for air.

"_What_ are you doing here?" Cleo asked, wildly mad at me.

"Who are you?" Rikki asked suspiciously.

I ignored Rikki, and pushed past the last of the bubbles. "I was just trying to help," I said sheepishly.

"We'll call the police once we're back on land," Rikki assured Cleo. She looked coldly at me. "Wait a second. Are you related to Cleo? You look like her." She looked at Cleo, then at me.

"I'm her twin," I said.

"_Fraternal_ twin," Cleo interrupted. "And just because I'm her sister—"

"Twin," I corrected smugly.

"—She feels she can butt in whenever and do all the things I like," Cleo said.

"She's very annoying," Emma put in, talking to Rikki.

"Hey, I heard that. And don't think I didn't hear the things you said about me on the way to the mall," I said hotly.

Emma and Cleo stared at me. "You followed us _all that time_?" Cleo was furious. "How could you? How'd you even get here anyway?"

"Boat," I said easily.

"From who?" Rikki asked.

I sighed. "Uh...Zane?"

Well, that certainly made them explode. "Zane?" Emma and Rikki screeched. Cleo had had enough. She dove under, swimming to get out.

Slowly but surely, Emma and Rikki followed. I just sat there, stunned. Had I done the right thing? Was it really worth all that? Well, of course. I _had _saved Cleo from danger.

I took a deep breath and sunk underwater. I followed the girl's trails and found an underwater exit. I surfaced on the other side, breathing in deeply to regain my lost oxygen. I spotted Cleo climbing aboard the water police's boat, Emma and Rikki next. I swam in their direction, hopping on the boat and riding off.

_**-Cleo POV-**_

I was still steaming mad at Kim the next morning. Not only had I gotten in trouble with my dad, but also I had been blamed for Kim's actions, and I was grounded double the time I would have been! And Kim didn't even care, the pest.

I stripped off my clothes and hung them on the rack. I was now facing my bubbly warm bath, waiting for it to be ready to get in. I was looking forward to warming up.

I stepped a toe in. Perfect temperature. As quick as that, my whole body was submerged in warm bath water. I closed my eyes and leaned against the bathtub's siding. I felt like I was going to go to sleep.

I was abruptly awoken by a door slamming and a frantic, "Cleo!" being called. My eyes shot open as I saw Kim staring in horror at me.

"Kim!" I screeched, putting my hands over myself to shield me, but I realized I wasn't naked. I had a scaly bikini top on.

"What the hell...?" I muttered, wiping away the rest of the bubbles. My legs felt weird. They didn't feel like two, more like...one.

I stared in awe at what I saw as the remaining bubbles popped. In place of my feet was a huge, orange and scaly tail. A mermaid's tail.

I looked quickly back at Kim. Her horrific gaze turned into one of pure happiness. "Cleo! Guess what? I went to wash my face this morning and I sprouted a tail, too! It was orange also! Oh Cleo, now we _are_ truly twins! We have a secret between us now!"

I realized with dread what she meant. The moon pool yesterday must have caused this with its abnormal bubbling, and now I was stuck with a tail. _We _were stuck with tails.

And now she was right. I had a chance to get away from her, to have one thing that was mine. But that chance was over, and now we'd always be joined together. Always.

**A/N: How'd you like it? I am going to update my other story ASAP. But for now, I have an idea. Should I write another story, but this time it will be an interactive H2O story? I'm seriously thinking about writing it. Of course, I'd have to write it all at once and upload it all at once, but that wouldn't matter. How does it sound? Review with your thoughts. Ciao! Oh, and, Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy whatever else you celebrate! Bye!**


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